Thursday, June 16, 2005

Did I Say Cher?

I meant Miss Ross.

If you take a look at my project list in the sidebar, you'll note that the Skully Sweater I started during the winter is getting frogged. I've learned a great deal about knitting since I revved up the needles again last October, and one of them is that a baggy sweater knit with bulky yarn and featuring a garter stitch border is not going to do my fireplug body any favors.

I've never frogged anything quite this big before. And although I did check my helpful little library (Montse Stanley, Maggie Righetti, St. Elizabeth of the Schoolhouse, Debbie Stoller, Mary Thomas, and Persons Unnamed at Vogue) I didn't find much information about frogging. Except that sometimes, you have to do it. Just pull, they suggest, and watch your sweater melt.

So I started ripping back, and it took about four inches for things to get weird.

I made the sweater, obediently following the pattern, using Lamb's Pride bulky. And I find myself (I think) up against the universal truth that mohair - even part mohair - sticks together like a group of Tri-Delts at a Hell's Angels rally.

@$%!

What you would have seen yesterday sprawled on my couch, and would this morning see sprawled on the floor where I threw it, is a giant tangled heap of kinky yarn that looks exactly like Diana's hair in the above photo. At a glance, you'd think she was chilling out at my place, watching The Pallisers and drinking Yoohoo, and forgot to take her wig along when she left.

C says it looks more like I gave King Kong a bikini wax.*

I haven't quite given up yet. This yarn wasn't out of the bargain bin and I do have something else in mind for it, if I can get it unraveled. I want to make myself the Prime Rib Sweater from Zimmerman's The Opinionated Knitter, though mine will be shorter to suit my shape (unlike the model in the book, I have an ass).

Back to Jack

Last night I checked the mail and discovered that those nice people in Canada sent me the bag of joints I ordered, the ones for Jack the Teddy Bear.

18 comments:

Here's what I've read about frogging. hang the yarn in hanks in the bathroom and run the shower hot hot hot. Alternatively, use a steamer or something to steam the stitch shapes out of the frogged yarn. Although I've found that if I just rewind the yarn (I have a center-pull winder) things even out pretty much on their own especially once they've been formed into new stitches.

Franklin, try putting the whole sweater in a ziplock bag in the freezer for a couple of hours. Get out the sweater, some ice cubes , some limes, salt and tequila. Margaritas, shaken, not stirred are invaluable when frogging. Freezing the mohair makes it easier to unrip. I hope(though doubt) Chicago is cooler than Springfield.

Franklin, are you just ripping this and dumping your yarn on the floor as you go? That's the vision I get. Try winding it in a loose ball as you rip. As for washing steaming etc. I've always just knit straight from the yarn as is...in fact I have knit straight from the old garment...rip enough for a couple of rows, knit it up, rip again.Barb B.

Damn...Michelene beat me too it. I was going to suggest freezing the mohair as well.

So does that mean you want to have my baby too? LOL

What about using some of the yarn to knit clogs for yourself and for C? Your feet couldn't be any happier. Since you would then felt the clogs, it really wouldn't matter what shape the yarn is in post frogging.

I'm all about barb b's comment! Usually I just knit right from the knitted item, frogging as I go. Unless you're doing some complicated yarn overs, you should have no problem knitting up the kinky yarn if you usually keep an even tension while knitting anyway (and I suspect you do). That way you don't have to rewind anything and you don't get tangled messes on floors or sofas.

Franklin, Michelene and Barb are both right on.May I add, after you freeze, rip and reknit, simply washing the new garment will remove any residual kinking.If you're not totally anal (I am not), you'll most likely skip my suggestion.

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